by Alex Billington
April 4, 2024
Source: YouTube
"You waded out into the deep end, and now you're drowning right before our eyes." Vertical has debuted the full official trailer for the wacky stoner comedy titled Poolman, marking the directorial debut of actor Chris Pine. He shot this film in 2022 when the pandemic was still on, and now it's set for release starting in May in theaters. This initially premiered at the 2023 Toronto Film Festival last fall, but got terrible reviews (and even a few walk outs) from most critics at the festival. Poolman is described as a stoner riff on the noir classic Chinatown. It's about a hapless dreamer and would-be philosopher who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block in sunny LA. When he uncovers the greatest water heist, he does what he can to protect his precious city. Chris Pine also stars in this as Darren Barrenman, the titular "poolman", with Annette Bening, Danny DeVito, Jennifer Jason Leigh, DeWanda Wise, Stephen Tobolowsky, Clancy Brown, John Ortiz, & Ray Wise. Yeah this looks super funky and kind of funny, even with all he bad reviews I'm still curious. Why not see what he's been cooking up? Check it out.
Here's the main official trailer (+ new poster) for Chris Pine's Poolman, direct from Vertical's YouTube:
You can watch the initial teaser trailer for Chris Pine's Poolman film right here, for the first look again.
Chris Pine's comedy Poolman tells the story of Darren Barrenman (also starring Chris Pine), a native Los Angeleno who spends his days looking after the pool of the Tahitian Tiki apartment block and fighting to make his hometown a better place to live. When he is tasked by a femme fatale, June Del Rey (DeWanda Wise), to uncover the truth behind a shady business deal, Darren enlists the help of his friends to take on a corrupt politician and a greedy land developer. His investigation reveals a hidden truth about his beloved city and himself. Poolman is directed by American actor turned filmmaker Chris Pine, making his feature directorial debut; he has produced a few films before this but hasn't directed anything. The screenplay is written by Chris Pine and Ian Gotler. Produced by Ian Gotler, Stacey Sher, Patty Jenkins, and Chris Pine. This initially premiered at the 2024 Toronto Film Festival last year. Vertical will debut Chris Pine's Poolman film in select US theaters starting May 10th, 2024 coming soon this summer. So who wants to watch?